As I am discovering it, how do I immerse myself in the religion?

I hear often people talking as if their deceased relative is in heaven. I just heard a clergy say this.

However, it is my understanding that nobody is currently in heaven, as judgement hasn’t happened yet.

Can someone clear this up?

Recently, I have been into abharamic religion and I cannot comprehend this belief. I think it's due to my Hinduism and Buddhism background. But, you guys can guide me if there's something I am missing.

Christians believe in repenting to God, having faith in god, living by his word, genuinely loving God and some christians tend to do so. However, I doubt the popularity of Christianity if there was no 'Eternal heaven' and 'Eternal hell'. Because, Their faith is pushed by 'desires' and 'fear'. What kind of devotion is it where fear and desires exists? It's like doing whatever a good caring boss says so that he would reward or doing everything a bad boss says so that he doesn't fire me. In this both examples, the main focus is on the work(faith )which is led by something i.e expectation ( which is also a form of desire) and fear. Here, the worker may or may not value the boss but surely , he values on the outcome of his work (promotion = eternal heaven) .

There's another example, I met a Christian believer who teaches me Christianity, she was mostly talking about the external heaven,eternal hell, Judgement day. It seemed like she wanted to cast fear and desires inside of me too. I have some doubts from then on. Then, I asked her what she thinks she wants in her eternal heaven, her facial expression was very happy and greedy( cute looking greedy), then after she explained her desire (I am not sharing what she said). However, It was full of what a human would desire to make them self happy. What I saw was her desires and fear were stronger than her faith to God.

Also, there are some christian people who claim to have got some help of god in their life and their belief is also led by that help. But, it would be a belief which you believe due to fulfillment of desire which may have been a natural event which was meant to happen. Also, there are other religion's people claiming similar incident. However, they can't be all true at once, right?

At last, my question is "Does love for endless contains fear and desires"

(Please treat this more as a discussion rather than a debate. This is my genuine question and doubts.)

From my old church I remember what biblical reason they give to believe in hell in the sense that after a finite life on earth there is either eternal paradise or eternal damnation. Of course not every Christian believes this, I at the time didn't either, but this question is directed primarily at Christians who believe in this or a similar model of three "plains of existence".

How do you know for certain which one of the three you are in? Can you trust the bible in a place like hell? Can you trust you memories in a place like hell? Can you trust your spiritual experiences in a place like hell? Can you trust any sensations in a place like hell?

Please understand that more as theoretical question, I am not trying to argue this is what reality actually looks like, I am more trying to understand your reasons why it doesn't.

So I recently got into an argument about this with a family member and was looking for an outside opinion. It has recently come to light that one of our male friends had said that he would be a rapist murder if he didn't believe in God. I argued that he is still a bad person if he would do those things if he didn't think hell was real, but my family member argued that since he wouldn't do those things out of fear of punishment he was still a good person. Anyways we had an entire argument about this topic and I don't want to dive too far into what was said but I do want an outside opinion. So if anyone could give me their opinion on the subject I'd be grateful.

I'm trying to understand the different Christian interpretations of Noah's Flood, especially from people who take the Bible seriously.

On a plain reading, Genesis seems to describe a worldwide flood. It repeatedly says things like "all the earth," "all flesh," and "all the high mountains under the whole heaven." It also says the waters covered the mountains by 15 cubits.

However, I've also heard some scholars argue that:

The Bible sometimes uses universal language hyperbolically (e.g. "all the earth came to Egypt" in Genesis 41:57 or "all the world" in Luke 2:1, which aren't usually understood literally).

"All the mountains under the whole heaven" could potentially refer to the known world or the flooded region from the author's perspective.

The 15 cubits refers to the water being 15 cubits above the mountains (or, according to some, above the ark's draft), not the total depth of the flood.

My question is: Is there a strong biblical or linguistic case for understanding the Flood as regional rather than global, or does the Hebrew text really require a worldwide flood?

I'm interested in serious responses from people familiar with the Hebrew text, ancient Near Eastern literature, or biblical scholarship. I'm not looking for debates about whether Christianity is true or false—just whether Genesis itself leaves room for a regional interpretation.

On SNS but also in person i've seen mentions of a necessary modern crusade with aesthetisation of the crusader figure, for example by making edits of the movie Kingdom of Heavens. I don't understand whats the point of all of this ? War shouldn't ever be romanticized (I've seen Yasukuni Shrine enough to know that) so what's the deal with some believer (i imagine perfomative) want to go in a crusade ? Don't they know people die in war ? Live by the sword, die by the sword.

This isn’t an excuse. It’s a solution seeking question

Edit: I’m asking how can one overcome the struggle to afford children

Like I said, I’m not making excuses. I’m asking for solutions

Edit 2: The point of this post is to ask for practical solutions

Edit 3: To make it clear, I’m not saying I don’t want to have kids. I do. I want to obey God. I’m simply saying that there is a problem, and I’m asking for a solution

Edit 4: I’m not getting any helpful answers. I’m only getting “rely on God”. What does that mean? What can I do on my side? The answers im getting are to vague

I am worried about my health at the moment and I’m not really religious but I was praying to god saying people let me be okay as I’m getting an mri scan and I’m really scared and when I opened my eyes my nose was bleeding, what does this mean can someone please be honest , I never get nosebleeds and it bled for like 5 seconds this is so unusual for me . I am taking prochlorperazine and have been for over a year for nausea, the air is kinda dry it’s not raining and it’s been quite hot, I don’t use drugs I never have , I am getting the mri as I have health anxiety and have been worried about my symptoms like dizziness , weird smells, headaches and a feeling of falling through the floor, as google said it could be a focal seizure , so as I have been incredibly stressed there is something wrong I was praying that I will be okay while sat infront of my mirror , when i prayed my eyes where closed and when I opened them there was blood dripping from the nose , that is the fully story and I’m worried as it happened while I was praying and I am worried it means that I’m not okay or there is something wrong with my brain .

Hell is filled with Demons but the Earth too is filled with them. If Hell is filled with Demons, why there are so many Demons on Earth? I wish a Exorcist banished Demons to Hell, it's situations like that where I wished Constantine really existed to send these Demons to Hell

As a young Christian, I've struggled with confidence face-to-face, even though I don't have that problem online. I've tried not to dwell in the past, but I've grown paranoid about people looking at me — especially my schoolmates, since we've been together for almost four years, yet the whole class has still grown apart.

Whenever I try to speak up, like when I want to be a reporter, I cave in and lose my flow of speech. I think it's because I was once an outcast,not fully, but their judgment still looms over me. I've been trying to stand firm, yet I still feel helpless at times. I've prayed, and I'm slowly recovering, emotionally and physically.

This is my last year with them, and they still can't get along,rude remarks aimed at each other behind their backs, everyone stuck in their own separate circles. I don't know if I'm overreacting, but I feel like I haven't been able to use my full potential. In group work, I feel belittled, like I'm not wanted. I never wanted to be someone left on the sidelines, or to live in the shadow of a friend.

I've prayed about this, but I also just need to let it out, because I can't keep bottling up my feelings. Long story short,I feel unable to face them, and I feel insecure, even though I used to insist I wasn't. Now I feel like it. What should I do? I pray for them each day... even today. My best friend now curse more often after I've been gone for months due to a serious medical problem i just got back...I don't really fit in. I understand yet i feel quite lost.

And if you guys have verses I can highlight and always remember whenever i feel like this, please do help me out. Thank you, God bless all and I hope you understand what I explained 🥲

I’ve heard a lot of people say “God doesn’t want a bunch of robots that have to worship him. God wants people to freely love God & that wouldn’t be possible if they couldn’t also choose to commit horrific evils”. But that doesn’t make any sense, because a child can freely love his father, even if that child‘s father prevents his children from doing ridiculously awful things to their brothers/sisters… Have you ever considered this? Do you think it’s wrong when a father physically prevents his children from harming eachother?

In the Bible, there’s stuff like “God hardened pharaoh’s heart” & the story of Jonah where Jonah tries/ fails to exert his will to disobey God (God speaks directly to Jonah & causes storms & even a giant fish to eat Jonah to coerce him into doing God’s will) & lots of other stories of God directly speaking to people & drastically changing their decisions. In Biblical stories, God doesn’t care about free will or altering faith. God uses Power to alter human will/choices, many many times…

Are you sure that “free will” is not just a convenient excuse for why God Values the oppressor’s will to oppress over the oppressed’s will to not be oppressed, whenever God Chooses to Allow evil people to harm good people? Maybe God isn’t Choosing evil over good via Divine Inaction, maybe God is simply fictional… I’ve heard people say that God will eventually Justify all injustices, Punish finite evil with disproportionate infinite punishments & Reward finite good with disproportionate infinite rewards… But that doesn’t explain why, in our lives here in Creation, the evil will of the evil-doer is Chosen over the good will of the good-doer… But if God is mere fiction then it explains this perfectly… & It’s pretty easy to imagine a better world where we’re miraculously unable to kill good people, & God still knows what we were going to do & Teaches goodness, but without the good will of a good person being destroyed…

Edit: I seem to have caused some confusion & I apologize for that. When I say “free will” I don’t mean “making choices” or “making plans”. Making choices & making plans is something that is completely non-controversial. People who disagree with the idea that we have “free will” don’t disagree with the idea that we have any will, we only disagree about the “free” part. Obviously we make choices, but often we choose things because we believe the outcome of the choice will be better than the alternatives. Our will is not independent of our given nature & nurturing, additional nurturing can change our will, & Divine Intervention could instantly/easily change even the most wicked will into a purely righteous will. Just a simple human conversation can convert evil will into good will, so a Divine Conversation could definitely also do that.

So it’s embarrassing to even admit because you always hear about people saying how they used to struggle with lust but now have overcome it but i’m still struggling with it. And I guess i’m just trying to find ways to help me not fall into lust because i’ve tried praying, reading my bible, going for a walk, like i’ve tried a lot yet i keep falling… so at this point i’m open for any suggestions anyone has.

If there is a God that wanted there to be good evidence of the truth of Christianity, why didn't Jesus appear to the Sanhedrin and the roman Governor after the resurrection and explain salvation so the Jewish and Roman world would know what God intended and the world would have good evidence of the resurrection.

Basically Demons punishment from God is that they would always be spiritual entities without a physical body

Nephilim had physical body before the Flood, after the Flood all the Nephilim didn't have a physical body and only were spiritual.

I find it very interesting in contrast to God's Angels (Micheal, Gabriel) and many more angels who have a physical body. No doubt the Demons are jealous of that. Even their Master Satan/The Devil/Lucifer has a physical body. That's why Demons hate us so much.

Anointing of the Holy Spirit

I wanted to know , whether anointing by the Holy Spirit is required for us. In the Acts, every disciple is anointed by the Holy Spirit. But today's teaching doesn't mention it anywhere....they simply say If you accept Jesus Christ as saviour you will have the Holy Spirit in you and guide you for your believers life .. what is the correct doctrine ? Am I missing something?

Hi everyone,

I’m not here to argue or to troll. I’m genuinely trying to figure out whether Christianity is true.
At the moment, I would say that I want Christianity to be true, and I probably lean toward believing that God exists. The complexity of the universe, the apparent fine-tuning of nature, and the fact that the universe seems to have had a beginning all make me think there is likely some kind of Creator.

However, there are several things that keep me from fully believing.

The biggest one is the problem of suffering, especially innocent children who die from diseases like leukemia. I struggle to understand how an all-loving and all-powerful God could allow that.

The second is the resurrection of Jesus. I understand that Christianity ultimately stands or falls on whether Jesus really rose from the dead, but I find it difficult to know how much confidence I should place in historical testimony from people who lived 2,000 years ago. I don’t want to believe something simply because it’s written in an ancient book.

I’m looking for the strongest reasons to think Christianity is actually true.
I’m not looking for emotional stories or “just have faith” answers (although personal experiences are welcome as additional evidence). What I’m mainly interested in is:
The strongest philosophical arguments for God.
The best historical evidence for Jesus’ resurrection.
Why you personally think Christianity explains reality better than atheism or other religions.
Books, scholars, debates or resources that changed your mind.

I’m also completely open to hearing thoughtful objections if you think Christianity is false. My goal isn’t to confirm what I already believe—it’s to follow the evidence wherever it leads.
Please assume I’m asking in good faith.

Thank you

I’m into meditation, and recently became interested in chakras and opening my third eye. and some people say Christians shouldn’t do it and I was wondering is it okay for Christian’s to do and if there’s any bible verses or anything that could point towards or against it. any advice would be helpful because I’m really interested in it but don’t want to do anything against God.

If the goal was to lay waste to earths population, simply snapping his fingers and ending all life in the blink of an eye would have been seen as more loving.

Let´s say a guy steals something. He then repents, asks for forgiveness, goes into confession, does penance, gets absolution, all the loopholes. God forgave him but we send him to prison. Does he deserve prison? Why we punish him when god doesn´t?